State Fair in a Bottle: Nashville Barrel Company Rum

We don’t review many rums “made” in the States for a reason. Most of these are one-note wonders without any nuances to write about. However, there seems to be a surge of U.S. companies sourcing barrels from all over the world and doing their own “magic” to call them their own. Meet Nashville Barrel Company.

Mike Hinds, CEO and co-founder of Nashville Barrel Company (NBC), and his friend’s favorite pastime was traveling the country tasting and selecting whiskey single-barrels. With demand driving up prices, leaving a single-barrel price out of reach for the average Joe, the three friends decided to invest in their ability to select quality whiskey. In 2018, they invested in their first batch of barrels, and friends soon selected barrels from their stock. In 2020, they released their first single-barrel rye, and by 2021, they expanded into rum. The demand had become so great that they opened a distillery to house all the barrels. This unique journey, from barrel selection to distillery opening, is a testament to their passion and dedication to their craft.

The rum we sampled was sourced from Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados and re-barreled at NBC into freshly dumped whiskey barrels from Kentucky and Tennessee. The bottle’s label tells us our rum was aged 19 years, pulled from barrel 17178, and is 119.06 proof.

This review was done sitting around with friends, sharing a dram or two (or even three) while laughing and contemplating the rum.

Nashville Barrel Company Review

The nose evokes memories of strolling through the State Fair with scents of buttered nuts, caramel apples, and brown butter toffee. There are even hints of wood shavings and leather as if coming from the stables. Terry watched as everyone took their first sip. An inviting sensation hit their palate, and then POW!!! One began coughing while Clint and the other friends said, “Wow!” 

Needless to say, Terry took a more cautious approach to her first sip. She held the liquid on the front of her palate to experience the warm, buttery notes, but like the rest, once it hit the back of the palate, the rum showed the power of the 119 proof. But as the liquid fell to the finish, it was warm and inviting again, with hints of dried apricots. Intrigued, everyone took another sip, but this time, we were prepared for the burst. 

There continued to be an element of surprise throughout the rest of our tasting. The front of the palate carried the notes of the nose with grace, with the back of the palate taking over, introducing the dried apricot, leading into a more bourbon-like finish with notes of oak, leather, and char. The finish is comforting, warming, and cozy, just like the memories of the State Fair.

Overall Rum Review

We enjoyed our Nashville Barrel Company Single Cask Rum and would pull a few more bottles from this barrel if we had the opportunity. The cost was steep at $179/bottle but well worth the exploration and the laughs we had with our friends.

4.75 out of 5

About Clint and Terry: We have sampled many a dram over our 33 years of marriage and quite often we don’t fully agree. Could be the difference is male/female taste buds. Or, somebody is just wrong.

Terry Boram has written for ALL AT SEA since 2012.